Fading Scenes
by Death by Bambi Tapes
Summary: [first x-men fic, please be nice] A teenaged girl with the power of premonition suffers an accident and sees glimpses of the past and her child's future as she passes in and out of conciousness.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own X-men. All I own is Oracle and Cassa.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------- "The life of every man is a diary in which he meant to write one story, and writes another." -Sir J.M Barrie  
  
Rogue sat in shock, staring at her friend Oracle, a mutant who also attended Xavier's school.  
  
"What?" she choked out, not believing what the other girl was saying.  
  
"I told you already." Oracle snapped, tears rolling down her olive face.  
  
Rogue was still flabbergasted, though. "But. Oracle. you and John-"  
  
"Shut up, you knew."  
  
"Yeah, but I had no clue it was that serious."  
  
"Oh, come on." the girl with the Mediterranean features sneered. "You and Bobby would do it if you could."  
  
Rogue shrugged. Most likely that was a true statement, but she wouldn't know for sure unless she was given the opportunity, and there was no chance of that. So she did all that she could do- she just nodded, agreeing with Oracle.  
  
"Are you sure?" Rogue asked again, the information still not clicking in her mind. "You can't be one-hundred percent-"  
  
"I'm seven weeks pregnant, Rogue. I asked Jean before. before she left if she could run some tests to make sure. I was going to tell him when you guys came back but-" she choked on her tears, unable to finish her thoughts.  
  
"So much for powers of precognition." Rogue muttered to herself as she settled herself on the bed beside Oracle.  
  
"Shuddup, you know it doesn't work that way." All Oracle's premonitions were, most of the time, only bad feelings- well, a little more than that. Even at their most powerful they weren't exactly clear. If they were, then the future could be changed or avoided and then, well, it would no longer be the future.  
  
"God." Oracle muttered, squeezing her eyes shut and turning her face towards the ceiling, quiet for a second. "I've heard car fumes are the easiest way to do it."  
  
"Do what?" Rogue snapped, then realization hit her. "Oh, Oracle, no way, you can't-"  
  
"Why not?" the other girl asked, now completely calm.  
  
"Because you can't kill yourself."  
  
"Why not."  
  
"'Cause it's not good." Rogue pressed.  
  
Oracle sighed, looking out into space. Rogue was quiet as her friend thought, eyes fixed on air. "Not now. Maybe later."  
  
"No." Rogue snapped. "Not ever."  
  
Tears once again flowed from Oracle's eyes. "What am I going to do, Rogue?" she asked, collapsing onto her bed, bawling.  
  
Rogue shrugged. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I don't know."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Four months later, Oracle moved slowly from her seat in her class with Professor Xavier. She was almost out the door when she realized she had left her book, and she turned back to get it, only to see Professor Xavier roll up, hand outstretched with her Physics text. "Thanks, Professor." She mumbled, turning away.  
  
"You know, if there's anything you want to tell me, Oracle, now's the time." The Professor said in his calm voice.  
  
Oracle froze momentarily, then shrugged. "No, there's nothing."  
  
"How far along are you?" he asked- most likely knowing but wanting her to answer. She stopped in her path and turned to look at him once more.  
  
"Nearly six months, but you already know that, don't you?"  
  
The professor nodded. "Yes, but other teachers have noticed a difference, also. Scott thinks you may be sick-" he paused to smile briefly. "But Ororo suspects the truth. You should speak to her one day soon."  
  
Oracle shrugged. "I didn't intend for this to happen."  
  
"Rarely do girls your age intend for this." The professor agreed. "Go talk to Ororo."  
  
Oracle moved to leave, then turned back cautiously. "Have you heard anything? From John?"  
  
The professor shook his head. "Nothing you'd be interested in." he said gently. "But I know that Pyro is prospering in his new surroundings, though."  
  
Oracle just nodded. "Alright."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Two months later, Ororo Monroe aka Storm walked up to Oracle, who was grooming a large chestnut horse in the stables.  
  
"Are you sure you should be hanging around here? Especially since-"  
  
"Shhh." Oracle cut her off, holding a finger to her lips as she looked around the stable.  
  
"Sorry." Storm said softly.  
  
"I can't stand it anymore, Storm." Oracle muttered softly, brushing the flank of the gelding in front of her. "I despise this with all the essence of my being."  
  
Storm laughed gently. "Maybe you should have thought of that before?" she smiled softly.  
  
"It's not funny." Oracle snapped, antsy from the pregnancy, then she softened. "I'm sorry, Storm. Ever since I got knocked up and John left, I've been a world class bitch, haven't I? It's amazing anyone even talks to me anymore."  
  
"We're all worried about you." Storm said, white hair blowing in a breeze that made it way though the open stable doors.  
  
"I don't deserve any sympathies lately." Oracle muttered.  
  
There was silence for a while. "I considered getting rid of the baby a long time ago but. But I don't know, I just couldn't. The way it seems, this thing-" she patted her stomach, "-is all I have left of him."  
  
She laughed. "If I was human and still with my parents, if they found out, they would kill me."  
  
Storm leaned against the stable door, listening to the young woman who seemed relieved to have a silent audience. "You know, I can't even go to the hospital when I have this thing? I have to have it here, in the basement, can you believe that? I know, we have a really really nice basement, but still! Professor X is getting a doctor friend of his to come here when it's time."  
  
Oracle grew angry suddenly. "My life bites." She snapped, and threw her brush into a metal bucket, and it rang loudly.  
  
She saw it before it happened. The noise from the bucket making the gelding edgy and scaring the cat asleep in the rafters. The cat jumped from the rafters and landed in front of the gelding, which shied, then kicked out, catching Oracle in the stomach.  
  
She snapped back to the moment as the hoof came flying towards her. She froze, then cried out in pain as the hoof connected with her stomach. Her world went black as she heard Ororo call out her name.  
  
~*~*~*~*~`Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
John slid into the seat next to her in History class.  
  
"'Ey, Oracle."  
  
"Not now, John." She hissed, furiously scribbling down notes.  
  
"Orraacllleee." He whined, grinning widely.  
  
"What?" she asked, giving in and putting down her pencil.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "I'm taking notes."  
  
"No, you dork, I mean after class."  
  
"Going to science class."  
  
He rolled his eyes, grinning all the while. "No, I mean-"  
  
"John, Oracle." Storm said from the front of the room, stopping her speech about the World War II. "If you have something more important to say, please, go ahead."  
  
Oracle shook her head, but John nodded and stood, grinning insanely. "I was just going to ask Oracle here if she wanted to watch a movie with me tonight after class."  
  
"Woo!" Oracle could hear Bobby's voice cheering and Rogue's laughing among the rest of the class, even Storm was smiling as Oracle turned a brilliant shade of red.  
  
"Didn't know a human could turn that color." She heard Piotr Rasputin, or Colossus, whisper in his amused, thick Russian accent to Kitty Pryde, who laughed in response.  
  
"Alright, alright, class, calm down." Storm called them all to order, sparing Oracle more humiliation. The girl had to admit, though, this was the way to be humiliated.  
  
When the bell rang at the end of the period, John picked up her books, holding them out of her reach. "Well?"  
  
"Well what?" she smiled innocently.  
  
"Well, what movie do you want to watch?"  
  
She laughed, her gray eyes dancing. "What, preytell, makes you think that I want to watch a movie with a pyromaniac?"  
  
"Well," he said, grinning and walking out the door alongside her. "One- it's always interesting 'watching a movie with a pyromaniac', Two- we've watched movies together before-"  
  
"With Bobby and Rogue along with us." She pointed out.  
  
"Three-" he said, putting an emphasis on the word, then grinning. "You like me."  
  
Her mouth dropped open as an amused look crossed her face. "Who says I like you?"  
  
"I do." He said as they walked into their next classroom, where Jean Gray taught science.  
  
"Really? Are you sure?" She asked, grinning impishly, as she took her books from his arms and putting them on the desk next to Rogue. "Or are you just painting fantasies in your head?"  
  
"All my fantasies involve you, sweetheart." He grinned as Bobby snickered, Rogue choked on her laugher, and Oracle turned red once more.  
  
"John, leave the poor girl alone before her face turns so hot it melts off."  
  
They looked at Piotr who shrugged, and sat down. "That's a pleasant image, Colossus." John grinned.  
  
The large boy shrugged. "I do what I can."  
  
"Class, please sit down." Jean interrupted. The class complied immediately.  
  
"You're going to go, right?" Rogue whispered to Oracle.  
  
The olive-skinned girl shrugged. "I dunno."  
  
"We all know you're going to, so don't bother to play around." Rogue chuckled to herself as Oracle stared at her.  
  
"What? Why would I go with John?"  
  
"Because you want to hold him and kiss him and run your hands through his hair." Rogue drawled.  
  
"Wh-!" she stopped herself at a look from Jean. "What?" she hissed.  
  
"I read it in your diary, word for word." The brown-haired girl grinned as she played with a streak of her white hair.  
  
"I did not write that in my diary!" she exclaimed, forgetting where she was for the moment.  
  
"Ladies!" Jean said, in her soft, disappointed voice.  
  
"Sorry." They both muttered.  
  
"I don't even have a diary." Oracle hissed when Jean's back was turned once more. Rogue just sniggered, and motioned for her to talk to John.  
  
Oracle sighed, defeated even though she didn't put up much of a fight. She leaned over her desk and poked Pyro's shoulder with her pencil tip.  
  
"Ow." He said, turning and rubbing his shoulder.  
  
"Sorry." She whispered. "What time do you want me to meet you tonight?"  
  
John grinned.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Ororo- Ororo what's happening?" Oracle gasped as she awakened to see bight hospital lights bearing down on her.  
  
"You were kicked- you're bleeding internally. They're going to have to perform surgery." Storm answered from the bedside.  
  
"Don't. don't let the baby die. please, Ororo, promise me." she gasped as darkness closed in once more.  
  
"I promise." Storm muttered as Oracle lost consciousness once more. 


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I only own Cassa and Oracle.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------  
  
"Only the good die young."- Billy Joel 'Only the Good Die Young'  
  
~*~*~*~*~Flash Forward~*~*~*~*~  
Cassa Summers was bored. No, she decided, bored is an understatement. She had absolutely no interest in the make-up of a eukaryotic cell, didn't give a flying bejezzus about which plant created the most ozygen (as long as there was oxygen to breathe) and most infuriating about her biology class were the guys that sat behind her who laughed whenever Piotr Rasputin, their teacher, said 'homo erectus' during their human evolution unit.  
  
She watched, chewing her fingernails, as Professor Rasputin walked across the room to use the chalkboard.  
  
"Pst." A voice hissed behind her. She turned to see Kyle Landry, a mutant who could cause electrical shortages and storms, and one of her best friends. "You'se gonna do it?" he asked in his uneducated Brooklyn accent.  
  
She shrugged. "C'mon." he begged, grinning widly. "It's jus' so much fun."  
  
"Yeah, Cassa. Do it." Her best friend, Christina- a girl who could shift into animals- whispered enthusiastically.  
  
Cassa began to grin. "I shouldn't. I'm in enough trouble as it is."  
  
The dark-haired Hawaiian boy in front of her, Orion, turned around, smiling a gorgeous smile. "Come on, Cassa. Do it." Orion could alter time itself- within limits, of course- but he was suppressed by his parents when they found out about his mutation and now was cautious to use it.  
  
Cassa shrugged, and focused herself on the task ahead. Cassandra Hope Summers- born Cassandra Hope Geocaris- could take the microwaves in the air and bend them into pure energy which she could use for things such as creating invisible barriers or sending energy blasts to do things such as breaking windows or demolishing doors.  
  
Right now she focused the pure energy- the power that made her feel like she had the universe at her fingertips- and condensed it to form a barrier in front of the chalkboard. Professor Rasputin stopped millimeters before crashing into it, and held out a hand to rest upon the energy, then turned to send a disapproving look at Cassa.  
  
"Do I need to say it once more, Cassandra, or will you fill in your punishment from experience?" Professer Rasputin said in his slight Russian accent.  
  
"Tell me again, Professor. I like hearing it." She grinned, kicking her feet onto the desk and crossing her arms behind her head.  
  
He held out a musclely arm and pointed to the door. "Go speak to Cyclops."  
  
Her mouth dropped open. Usually she was sent to Professor Xavier, who just told her that it was a good thing to have control over her mutations, but she really shouldn't use them for disrupting class. Scott, her adoptive father, on the other hand.well, he would have a cow.  
  
She meekly got up and trudged to the door. There she paused and sent a pleading look at Colossus, who waved her on. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Come on, Scott. You can't be mad! You're not the one sitting through that class! It's so boring! I was just trying to have fun!" Cassa complained loudly.  
  
"It's not meant to be fun, Cassa." He answered, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.  
  
They were silent for a short time while Cassa contemplated whether or not to ask Scott something. She decided to brush off her doubts, and asked anyway. The question had been bothering her for a while.. "Scott. my mother died about a week after I was born, right?"  
  
Scott nodded. "In her second surgery."  
  
"Well, where was my father during this?"  
  
Scott visibly tensed. "We didn't know where he was. We couldn't find him."  
  
She was quiet for a second. "Where is he now?"  
  
"Dead, Cassa." He answered quickly, turning awkwardly away. "I'm sorry."  
  
They continued to walk to the mansion. "Go to class." Scott said, kissing her fatherly on the forehead. "Remember, though, only the good die young, and your mother was good."  
  
"What about my father?" she asked as she walked away.  
  
Scott shrugged. "For the most part." He muttered as Cassa disappeared into a classroom.  
  
~*~*~*~*~End Flash~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Ororo.anyone?" Oracle muttered as she slowly regained some consciousness and hoped to find a friend in her newly distorted universe.  
  
"Here. It's Scott." Cyclops moved into her field of view from the hospital bed.  
  
"Scott. what."  
  
"I don't know what's wrong, kid. I can't tell you. They're going to bring you back into surgery-"  
  
Her mind quickly flashed to her dreams. If they were premonitions, then she had the chance to change things, which didn't usually happen. If she changed this, maybe John wouldn't be dead. It was funny how she lay here in this sterilized hospital room and all her mind flashed to John. John who she hadn't seen or heard from in months. John who she loved and missed.  
  
"Scott." she gasped as she shifted weight. She could feel herself going under once more. "Please. no more surgery. I. I can't take it. I won't-"  
  
She stopped, unable to speak any more for the moment.  
  
"Oracle, if you don't you may not.we don't know what would happen to you." What was with awkward pauses during these types of conversations?  
  
"It doesn't matter. just. please, no surgery."  
  
Scott shrugged. "I can't promise, but I'll try."  
  
Oracle's world grew black once more, a black that was significantly less frightening then it was so many times before.  
  
"How's." she muttered. "How's my baby." she muttered, and went under again before she could hear a response.  
  
Woo. Put up the second chapter right away so pepel could get a better idea.  
  
Please review. All flames will be used to light my bonfire of world domination MUAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA*passes out from lack of oxygen* 


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters or places in X-Men  
  
Chapter Three  
  
"So with love-  
  
Sighs from the deep seas of affection;  
  
Laughter from the colorful field of the spirit;  
  
Tears from the endless haven of memories." Kahlil Gibran  
  
"What's with you two?" John asked Bobby and Rogue as they sat on the armchairs in the Rec Room.  
  
"We've been sent as chaperones." Bobby answered solemnly.  
  
John grinned widely. "Come on, Iceman, you can't tell me that no one trusts me with a pretty girl." he said, throwing his arm around Oracle's shoulder as they all laughed.  
  
"Actually, no one trusts Oracle." Rogue corrected.  
  
"What?" she exclaimed. "What have I done?"  
  
"Oh, you know what you did, you bad, bad girl." John scolded her playfully.  
  
She shoved him away, laughing. "You're awful."  
  
"Definitely." He agreed, then turned to Rogue and Bobby. "Bye-bye!" he said, waving.  
  
Rogue shrugged, looking at Bobby. 'Well," she drawled, joking around. "They're both in the middle of the Rec Room. What can they do?"  
  
"You'd be surprised." He answered dryly, though a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.  
  
"Ah, get outta here!" John bellowed good-naturedly, chucking a pillow at Bobby. They walked away, laughing after Bobby dodged the pillow.  
  
John pulled his arm back from around her shoulder. "Hey," he said, grinning.  
  
"Hey," she chuckled.  
  
"So.what's up?"  
  
She smiled at his awkwardness. "Haven't we already had this conversation today?"  
  
He shrugged. "Probably a couple times, but I wasn't aware anyone was counting."  
  
Oracle raised an eyebrow, then shrugged also. "Fair enough."  
  
"Movie?" he asked, leaning forward and picking the remote control off the coffee table.  
  
"Movie." Oracle agreed.  
  
He pressed the buttons on the remote, and they sat awkwardly during the first half of the movie. About halfway though, John's hand encompassed hers and they heard snickering from behind them.  
  
"Go away!" John yelled, looking over the back of the couch. Oracle turned, also, to see some kids running off, but only after one stuck a blue, forked tongue out at them.  
  
John chuckled. "We're causing a scene, I think." He muttered to her under his breath.  
  
She nodded. "Wanna give them something to giggle about." She asked, scooting closer.  
  
He laughed, then nodded, putting his arm back around her shoulder. Oracle leaned her head on his shoulder as he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. Her mouth dropped open, grinning, and she laughed as she heard a sharp intake of breath behind the couch.  
  
She contemplated in her mind for a moment, then pulled down John's head to kiss him- intending for it to be quick. He surprised her, though, by catching her lips with his and burying a hand in her hair. She stiffened, shocked by his actions and the hunger of the kiss. He kissed her passionately, with an undertone of possession she could just sense.  
  
She felt him regain his senses, and pull away, red with embarrassment. "Sorry," he muttered. "I-" He gave up on talking as they kissed again, this time pulling Oracle close as she kissed him back as Rogue's words echoed in her mind- "You want to hold him and kiss him and run your hands through his hair." Complying, her hand snaked up from around his neck and into John's soft brown hair.  
  
"Hey!" a sharp voice snapped. They jumped apart, like children caught with their hands in the cookie jar just before dinner, and turned to see Scott standing above them, arms crossed.  
  
"Hey, Cyclops. What's up?" John asked, playing it cool.  
  
Scott cocked an eyebrow. "None of that here."  
  
"No manners? No asking friends how they're doing?" John asked with mock surprise. "Oh, dear! It's a terrible world we live in, don't you think?" he asked Oracle, eyes shining.  
  
"Most definitely." She agreed.  
  
"Ha ha. Very funny, kids. Hands off each other, and-"  
  
"But you and Jean always have your hands on each other." A young boy interrupted.  
  
Scott looked flustered at this new opponent. "Yes, but we're not groping." He pointed out.  
  
"Neither were we. We were very tasteful." John responded.  
  
"What's groping?" the young boy asked.  
  
"It's how you make babies." A little girl accompanying him said matter-of-factly.  
  
Scott turned a slight shade of red as John and Oracle looked at each other, then burst into laugher.  
  
"Go, kids. It's almost lights out." He said, shooing everyone off.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
She was barely conscious, just enough to hear people talking above her. Angels? Or some sort of demon?, her mind wondered, half-asleep because of pain medication.  
  
"You can't.she.baby.impossible." she heard snippets of conversation as she lay flat on her back.  
  
Impossible. It sure seemed that way now.  
  
Sleep engulfed her once more, so quickly that soon the voices seemed as much of a dream as John and her daughter. 


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters or places in X-Men.  
  
Chapter Four  
  
"Well I guess she closed her eyes/And just imagined everything's alright/ But she could not hide her tears" -Creed 'Wash Away Those Tears'  
  
"Professor Xavier?" Cassa asked, pausing as she left her classroom. "I was wondering about my parents."  
  
He nodded. "You've been wondering for a while, Cassa. I was wondering when you'd ask someone."  
  
She looked uncomfortable as she returned to her seat on the other side of the desk. "I've just been feeling weird lately. I mean, I've never wanted to know before, it's never really been like this. Sure, I wondered but I felt no drive to actually ask and find out."  
  
Professor Xavier nodded, as if he was the psychiatrist and she was the patient.  
  
"I just want to know about my heritage." She finished, wary of the looks the professor was giving her.  
  
He nodded. "Alright. Do you want the whole nine yards?"  
  
She shook her head 'yes'.  
  
"Alright. Scott may not be happy I told you, so don't tell him." She nodded her agreement again.  
  
"Your mother's full name was Justine Geocaris. Her family was from an island off Greece, and they moved here when she was three years old. As she grew up, she found she had the ability to predict the future- fuzzy predictions, yes, but they were true nonetheless. When her parents, your grandparents, found out they put her up for adoption and abandoned her by moving to the other side of the country without leaving any address or phone number. By the time we found her she was twelve, and had spent three years in the orphanage. She had become reclusive and did not respond to other people- to humans. She grew out of it quickly, though, when we brought her here and made friends quickly. She took the name Oracle and never used Justine ever again.  
  
"Shortly after Rogue- you know her as Marie- came to our school your mother became involved with another student, her friend, John Allerdyce. He could control and manipulate fire, and he had a tough attitude that meshed with Oracle's. He was also known as Pyro. They fell for each other, whether it was a love we don't know. The relationship only lasted for a month and a half. Mere days after the school was invaded by government forces, Pyro grew angry and joined Magneto and Mystique to oppose the humans and the mutant registration act their own way- violence. About six months later your mother was involved in an accident and died shortly after you were born. As for your father, we don't know anything about him- at least, not anything we can understand his emotions with."  
  
Cassa was quiet as this sank in.  
  
"Perhaps you're still too young to know that." the professor trailed off.  
  
"No." Cassa said quickly. "No, it's fine. I was just wondering. Is my father still alive?"  
  
"Yes. We've heard about his actions."  
  
"Does. does he know about me? Does he know my mother's dead?"  
  
The professor shook his head. "No, I don't believe he does."  
  
"Okay." She muttered, and excused herself already deciding to skip her next class and disappear into the stables.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Oracle drifted back into consciousness but as the room cleared, she felt herself dragged back into unconciousness. 


End file.
